How to View EXIF Data on Photos (and Remove It) in 2026

Every digital photo hides extra information: the camera or phone that took it, the date and time, exposure settings and often the exact GPS location. This is EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data. In 2005 I used IrfanView, my default image viewer, to read it. Today you can view EXIF data on any device in seconds, and you should know how to remove it before sharing photos. Here’s how.

Quick answer: On Windows, right-click a photo > Properties > Details. On a Mac, open it in Preview > Tools > Show Inspector > the (i) tab > EXIF. On iPhone, open the photo and swipe up or tap (i); on Android, swipe up in Google Photos. To remove location before sharing, use the Location toggle in the iPhone share sheet or Windows’ “Remove Properties and Personal Information”.

What EXIF data includes

• Camera or phone make and model, and lens.
• Date and time taken.
• Settings: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, flash.
• GPS coordinates, if location was on.
• Orientation, software used and sometimes copyright info.

How to view EXIF data

Windows

Right-click the image > Properties > Details. Free viewers like IrfanView (external site) (Image > Information > EXIF info) show more fields.

Mac

Open the photo in Preview, choose Tools > Show Inspector, then the (i) tab and EXIF. In the Photos app, press Cmd+I.

iPhone and iPad

Open the photo in Photos and swipe up or tap the (i) button to see camera, lens, settings and a map of where it was taken.

Android

In Google Photos, open a photo and swipe up for details including camera settings and location.

Online

Upload a photo to a viewer such as exif.tools (external site) or Jeffrey’s Image Metadata Viewer (external site). Avoid uploading private photos to online tools.

How to remove EXIF data

• iPhone: tap Share > Options at the top > turn off Location (and All Photos Data).
• Android: in Google Photos, turn off sharing location under Settings, or remove location in the photo’s details.
• Windows: Properties > Details > “Remove Properties and Personal Information”.
• Mac: Photos > Image > Location > Hide Location, or export without location info.
• Batch: ExifTool removes metadata from many files at once.

Most social networks strip EXIF when you upload, but email, cloud links and messaging “send as file” often keep it.

Why EXIF matters

Photographers use it to learn from their settings. It can also expose where you live or reveal that a “new” photo is years old or from a different camera. Use TinEye reverse image search together with EXIF to check where an image really came from.

FAQ

Can EXIF data be faked?

Yes. EXIF is easy to edit, so treat it as a clue, not proof.

Do screenshots have EXIF data?

Usually only basic data like date and dimensions, not camera settings or GPS.

Does WhatsApp remove EXIF data?

Photos sent normally are compressed and stripped of most metadata; files sent as documents may keep it.